Outside of the standard items like camp chairs, hammocks, books, etc., what non-essential item(s) do you always like to bring along to make the trip just a little bit better or more fun?

All three of those for me.. but that's about it for unnecessary items. My rei flexlite was a gamechanger after a long day. Beats sitting on a log or rock after a long day

Travel size cribbage board. Wine for me and a flask for my husband.

x2 on the Cribbage board and the whiskey! I also bring along a tobacco pipe or two "to keep the bugs away". The aromatic smoke and the attention it takes to smoke it makes me stop and relax.

I consider my old Crazy Creek chair essential and dual purpose as it pads the back of my #2 Duluth pack carrying 2 uncomfortably hard bear vaults.

Binoculars, full size 8X42. With bird field guide. Binos are always at hand in the canoe or in camp.
Apple brandy, 140 proof, to go in my hot cider each evening.
Camera. Kit pared down to Canon Elph170 w/ 2 extra batteries. Fits in a 4x6 inch pelican case.
Journal, small hard cover notebook.

If I am with my partner the cribbage board and cards come along.

For a late-season trip with shorter days and more time around a fire I would add my folding Corona saw and a hand axe to split.

I suppose everyone will have some differences on what's essential or what's not, but without getting too wrapped up in semantics . . .

I leave things behind to make it easier/better, but I do take a butt pad now (new addition last year), a notebook & pens, weather radio, small P&S camera. That's about it usually, unless you want to throw my PLB in that category.

I will go with others on defining "essential". I do bring things on a canoe trip I would not bring on a 10+ mile backpacking trip at 10,000+ feet. That will be my definition of "essential".
I bring my Sunsetter chair on both trips, but will not bring the kitchen tarp for backpacking. Weather radio, phone/bps/camera device and an adult beverage will go on both trips, but I do downsize first aid and use the jet boil on hiking and peak stove canoeing. I am also likely to par down clothing as is that second shirt really "essential". Some form of fresh food is taken on a canoe trip, not so likely when I backpack.
True essential would be basic shelter, food, boat needs. I go to enjoy so everything else is a justified "essential".

A good wool blanket.

I enjoy it more than the sleeping bag, which gets used as cushion, and it gives the dog something to hangout on/under. Not as concerned about it getting wet and don't mind it getting taken out and put on some rocks for people to hang out on during the day.

What would others consider non essential...

3 liters of whiskey probably

Cribbage board maybe

Outside of that I don't really bring anything that isn't what I consider essential.

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x2jmorris: "What would others consider non essential...


3 liters of whiskey probably


Cribbage board maybe


Outside of that I don't really bring anything that isn't what I consider essential."

+1 on the whiskey.

Other than that not a whole lot of "non-essentials" for me. Well, except for more lures than I'd ever use. My paddling partners on the other hand...

The amount of stuff they bring each year is unreal. I guess if we portaged more it would discourage that, but we base camp.

4keys: "Travel size cribbage board. Wine for me and a flask for my husband.
"

This!

Plus a Kindle e-reader for my bedtime routine and rainy/wind bound days under the tarp or in the hammock. Also on the Kindle I have a wide range of BWCA, nature guides and camping related reference books.

On our last trip in 2016 I decided to admit the frailties of age and brought along a camp chair. This camp chair happened to be a $6 special from Walmart, of which I had half a dozen or so at home but, brilliantly, wanted to bring a brand new one. Of course, we got to our first campsite well out on Knife Lake, my back crying, I pulled out the camp chair for relief and it immediately collapsed when I sat on it. Despite the wonders of baling wire, I was unable to make it usable so we just carried it through the remaining 7 days of our trip. This year, I have a nice Cabela's chair which I have tried out and certified as functional. That's the extent of the frivolities for the wilderness canoe country
, otherwise I'll go to a KOA.

Bug Whacker for inside of tent.
Round metal plate to disperse heat from one burner stove to cooking surface.
Extra small tent for emergency overnight should I not be able to return to my base camp before dark. Add a lunch type meal.
Usually a days worth of extra food.
Greeting mat for front of tent and use at the SUNSHOWER.
Book

Screen hose, msr reactor,4 extra fishing poles, camp chair, depth finder, water filter...

All of the above plus the whiskey! I also bring a portable fish/depth finder on some trips, usually the ones where we're on Lake Trout lakes.

A hand pump for the canoe and a butt pad too.

2-3 fishing poles depending on time of year, small folding table for camp kitchen, large comfy camp chair, long handle ax, 8 ft long 2x2s to pontoon two canoes together.

We still drag along a Coleman 2-burner camp stove. It's big and heavy, but just so much nicer to cook on something sturdy than any lightweight camp stove, and the dual burners are always used when getting something ready for a group. Not a big fan of cooking over the firegrate.

nothing
If i bring it, it is essential to me
:) :)

x2jmorris: "What would others consider non essential...


3 liters of whiskey probably


Cribbage board maybe


Outside of that I don't really bring anything that isn't what I consider essential."

I bring 3 liters of whisky also, plus whatever booz my group wants to drink.

This year, just cause I am interested in trying something different on my solo, a crayfish trap. I feel it will either be a boon or bust, but something new and i'll know in 2 weeks!

Wintersguy80: "All three of those for me.. but that's about it for unnecessary items. My rei flexlite was a gamechanger after a long day. Beats sitting on a log or rock after a long day"

Amen to that! I'm not a religious person, but my first solo with a flexlite chair had me weeping with gratitude. (I'm trying to find a Flexlite church in the Chicago area.)

Other stuff? Folding saw, boxed wine, and a number of paperbacks that I buy at the local library when they have their sales. Cigars for the bugs (and joy).

Dave

camp pillow
packable camp chair
However, my head and butt regard them as essentials.

Some very similar lists. I started out backpacking. Part of what I enjoy about canoe camping is the minor penalty for bringing non-essentials into the wilderness.

Helinox
Crocs for camp
Portable fish finder
Too many lures
Fish net (sometimes)
Spinning rods plus fly rod
Bourbon, rye, and/or scotch

Abbey: "Some very similar lists. I started out backpacking. Part of what I enjoy about canoe camping is the minor penalty for bringing non-essentials into the wilderness.


Helinox
Crocs for camp
Portable fish finder
Too many lures
Fish net (sometimes)
Spinning rods plus fly rod
Bourbon, rye, and/or scotch "

Helinox chairs (if I want to be uncomfortable, I'll go back to Iraq!)
Too many lures (ever leave a lure at home that ends up being the one you look for in your tackle box?)
Too many rods (Maybe I want to be the only guy to ever post a picture of a Boundary Waters crappie)
My own moonshine (hint: "foxfire")
Solar Charger
Samsung 360 (maybe I want to post 360 pictures of the campsites)
Weather radio
Griddle (to cook the dehydrated hash browns I got from Sams)
Pie Iron (for cooking fruit pies my kids love)
Hammock

treehorn: "We still drag along a Coleman 2-burner camp stove. It's big and heavy, but just so much nicer to cook on something sturdy than any lightweight camp stove, and the dual burners are always used when getting something ready for a group. Not a big fan of cooking over the firegrate.


"

I agree whole heartedly. The Coleman 2 burner has become a definite luxury for my groups the last couple of years.

Hard to sort out essential from non-essential. :-)

Essential "for me": lightweight silk long johns for sleeping. Extra wool socks for the same, as well as my essential wool socks for all the rest of the time.

A Racko game and also a deck of cards, although we usually didn't play much.

One small canteen or bottle of good small-batch Kentucky Bourbon, and a small flask of blackberry brandy.

A camp stool and/or a folding lawn chair. Became more essential as I got into my 60's and arthritis was slowing me down.

Some people consider a camera and a journal non-essential, I guess. For me they were absolutely necessary, since I always made a book after each trip. Now that we have discontinued wilderness paddling and opted for a cabin week with day trips, we do enjoy looking at our "trip books" and reliving the memories.

Chair
Brandy
Box of wine
Cribbage board
Extra solar lanterns for playing cards at night
Frozen steaks for night one
Potatoes, carrots, onions and other food beyond dried meals

My BWCA trips are my vacations. I go for adventure and relaxation time. This means that I bring what I think or know I will have fun with but not so much that it limits me. Just look at how likely you are to use something and if you would regret not bringing it. You know you have to carry it so you might as well bring as little as you can be happy with.

Too many to mention, but if I had to pick, it would be a Yeti 65 cooler. We basecamp, and have excellent meals each night. Because of the cooler, we had a venison roast on day 5 this year.